Payment of Rates

Diamond Jubilee of the Ohinemuri County 1885 - 1945

COUNCIL'S APPRECIATION

Through the medium of this booklet the Ohinemuri County Council wishes to extend to the ratepayers its sincere thanks for the excellent response made to the request for payment of rates during the last few years. During recent years a large proportion of the European rates have been paid each year, but, like other local bodies, great difficulty is experienced in collecting native rates. An appreciated fact is also that many pay so promptly after the demands are sent out. This has considerably assisted the finances of the County, and of late, in avoiding an overdraft, thereby saving the ratepayers' own money in paying bank interest. Many do not realise this. The following figures show the percentage of current rates paid up to March 31 in each year during the past 15 years: -

STATISTICS OF COUNTY

Rates, Ratepayers and Valuation

A perusal of the early files of the Annual Returns to the Government Statistician shows some very interesting figures. The earliest on record is 1900, and in perusing the following it must be borne in mind that the Waihi Borough was formed in 1902 and Paeroa Borough in 1915, both being formerly portions of the County; also that in 1920 all that portion of the County on the western side of the Waihou River went to the newly-formed Hauraki Plains County. The following figures are for the year ended March 31 in each of the years stated: -

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1945

Ratepayers

1192

1492

1369

789

832

966

Rateable properties

1629

1774

1679

1069

1148

1328

Capital value of rateable property

£358,736

£596.727

£1,718,580

£732,623

£1,030,786

£1,040,086

Miles of formed roads

127

220

Not available

142

170

174

Maintenance and construction of roads and bridges

£21,583

£15,460

£10,232

£14,035

£24,587

£6,707

General rate in £

⅝d.

¾d.

Av. 1⅓d

Av. 1.6/7d

3¼d.

311/16

General rate produced

£934

£1,864

£7,169

£5,370

£5,370

£6,536

Other rates produced

Nil

£386

£2,244

£1,788

£3,184

£2,809

Government subsidy on general rates

£294

£355

£651

£500

£736

£756

Hospital levy

£528

£799

£2,196

£908

£2,674

£1,717

Gold revenue and duty

£17,377

£8,402

£3,884

£421

£613

£509

Total rates outstanding

£899

£2,921

£6,246

£4,354

£2,345

£572

The highest amount for goldfields revenue and duty received in any one year was £20,091 in the year ending March 31, 1902. For the five years since 1940 the Hospital levy has been paid from the General Account, and the amount for this purpose has been included in the General Rate, but the General Rate for 1945 shown above does not for comparison purposes include the hospital levy. During the past five years and also the current year no variation has been made in the General Rate. The rating was on the basis of the capital value up to and including the year ended March 31, 1930; since then it has been on the basis of the unimproved value.